Science Standards Revision-LD 283

On April 19, 2019 Governor Mills signed LD 283, which contained the revised Science and Engineering standards in the Maine Learning Results. The revised standards are an adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards, which represent significant shifts from the previous version. The revised standards call for students to build core knowledge by making sense of observable events that use science to explain or predict. The three-dimensional nature of the standards promotes students “doing” science over passively listening to lectures. The standards also foster students’ ability to communicate scientific arguments and explanations. The revised standards replace breadth with depth of scientific ideas and practices.

The signed bill is currently going through the Maine Administrative Procedure Act to officially become law through the Secretary of State’s office. It is anticipated that the law will go into effect near the end of this school year. This timeline allows schools to begin planning for implementation during the summer of 2019. To help support schools as they transition to use of the revised standards., planning is underway here at the Department of Education to provide a series of professional development opportunities around the state in 2019 and 2020, as well as online resources.